Side Effects

Chapter 31

We all gathered on Viola's porch, which overlooked a grove of olive trees that were one of her family's many businesses, and had an amazing view from the house's perch on the hilltop. There was a pitcher of sangria, another of water, and a charcuterie board that had been brought out by an older serving woman who had retreated once the items were delivered. We all gravitated towards the sangria, just because we probably needed a little bit of alcohol to calm our nerves after our trek. Alaya had brought the files so that we could show her what we'd discovered in Mali.

"So. Which of you are going to give me the story of what is happening?" Viola asked, her hair strangely damp. Had she taken a shower with Esme? I wasn't going to speculate but Esme had a self-satisfied smirk that made me think they just might have. She worked quickly!

"I guess I will." I took a deep breath and got to it. "The short version is that we found out that my sister, in cooperation with the head of our research lab in Mali, created the COVID virus, and then released it in Wuhan, even though they didn't have a viable vaccine. With the lessons they learned, and by hiring a Pfizer researcher to make a better vaccine the second time around, they're going to release another one. This time they're going to release it near a Pfizer lab in the United States, because they want it to look like a lab leak so they can sink a competitor. This time they have a vaccine, but it will still kill millions."

She looked among all of us, not seeing any of our expressions wavering. "You're serious?"

"I am. When I confronted her, I made the mistake of telling her to turn herself in. I told her I was turning over everything to the WHO, and she assured me she would talk to her lawyer and then contact the Department of Justice. Instead, the next day, she bombed the café that Alaya and I were eating in, had the head of the WHO killed in a fake raid, and then blew up our jet, just in case we escaped the café."

"Unbelievable." She was shaking her head in disbelief, but I could tell she was believing it based on the news from Copenhagen. "I assume you can prove all this?"

Alaya quickly held up the file. "We can, yes."

Viola sat there, her eyes down as she furrowed her brow in concentration. "So, let's say I believe you. Why should I risk myself to do this?"

I had assumed she'd ask this at some point, and I hoped that the argument I'd been planning would sway her. "Viola, it's the right thing to do. It's that simple. But if that isn't enough, consider this. Your family is one of the wealthiest in Europe, if not the world. But even with that, nobody even knows of you anymore. Your father still is a minor cabinet member, for all that he's been working in the government for decades while you have power hungry men after you for your money instead of caring anything at all about you. If you did this, if you helped to stop a madwoman from unleashing another pandemic, you would be an instant hero. Not just in Italy, but in the entire world. You could easily campaign for a senior cabinet position, if not the Prime Minister position. Hell, you could probably campaign for the leader of the European Union the next time that position was open. If we pull this off, then your future, and your family's future, is going to be one that others could only dream of. Even if we fail, and all we can do is bring what is happening to light quicker than they expected, you're still a hero. The only way that you don't come out of this like a damned hero, is if we die."

"That's a pretty big reason not to," she pointed out. But I could see her smiling at the thought of what a win might entail. "But I like the other line of thought. What is it that you think I can do to help?"

"I don't think we can get through any airport security, and we don't know who she might have in her pocket with at least some Interpol officers already doing her bidding, plus people closer to home in America I bet. But if we can use your yacht to get us over to the states, then we can hopefully stop the release of the new virus. We know the date and location, so we just need to try and find the person doing it."